Studio: international art (2.1894)

Architectural Notes

thousands of years ago glowed under the blaze of
an African sun. To a certain extent the material
has been made use of, and not inaptly, as for
instance in an office in Great George Street,
Westminster, which after a lapse of years presents
practically the same appearance as that which its
designer intended it to have. Of how many other
buildings in London, or even in the suburbs, can
the same be said ? Why not go a step farther,
however, and in place of the dull reds and browns
which are in this instance presented, employ a full
painter's palette ?

Hardly have we recovered from the distressing
blow dealt us by the ingenious Mr. Grant Allen,
who has obligingly informed us of the ugliness of that
London we others had considered at least bearable,
when Sir Lepel Henry Griffin comes forward to
tell us, that though there is truth in Mr. Allen's
criticism, we are not quite so helpless as the
" man-who-is-not-allowed " would have us believe.
In fact, Sir Lepel is convinced that if he were to
be given a free hand and an unlimited purse he
could turn the city into something quite tolerable.
If we may judge, however, from sundry drawings,
if such indeed they may be called, which illustrated
his article in the Pall Mall Magazine, the last state
of London after Sir Lepel has got through with it
will be more weird than beautiful. Doubtless in
his own place, which, I have a vague idea, is
something connected with our Indian Empire, Sir
Lepel is a very worthy person, but it is yet to be
learnt that he has the least claim upon our con-
sideration as a critic of art or architecture. It is
up to this point, indeed, that I have been leading,
for it fills me always with distressful despair when
men who have not the faintest glimmer of
technical knowledge are allowed to pose before
the world as critics of that art which, above all
others, demands technical knowledge for its most
faintly appreciative consideration. H. T.

Some coloured inks—green, red, and blue—com-
panions to Higgins's waterproof inks, which pen-
draughtsmen appreciate so highly, are worth com-
mendation. Not only are they brilliant and flow
easily from the pen, but their waterproof quality is of
special value to designers. An additional virtue
is the excellent shaped bottle—after the fashion of
the black inks—in which they are sent out.

Some stains for wood, manufactured by Mr. H.
H. Stephens, whose ebony stain, intended for
articles of furniture and the like, has become the
most favourite fluid for ordinary drawings for
reproduction, are distinctly good. The green is

vivid, yet exactly the right colour to look well on
oak or pine ; the scarlet is also admirable. In
place of imitating a more costly material, of which
the satin-wood, walnut, and mahogany stains may be

" THE THICKET " WALL—PAPER. DESIGNED BY ARTHUR
SILVER, EXECUTED BY J. ILLINGWORTH KAY.
TO BE MANUFACTURED BY C. KNOWLES AND CO., CHELSEA

reasonably accused, these colours will be far more
decorative, and not offend the most rigid purist,
and offer opportunities for that legitimate use of
bright colour, which is so valuable in our homes.

All the Illustrations (excepting those on pages
32 and 35) are from the present Exhibition of the
Arts and Crafts. A further selection will appear
in our next issue.

At the moment of going to press, we hear with
much regret of the death of Mr. Ford Madox
Brown, who has been so prominent a leader in the
Pre-Raphaelite revival.

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